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Parliamentary constituency

South Down

Current MP, latest election result, geographic context and official constituency information.

At a glance

Current MP
Chris Hazzard
Party
Sinn Féin
Latest election
4 July 2024
Electorate
76,248
Turnout
59.3%
Majority
9,280

Where is South Down?

The map shows this constituency alongside neighbouring parliamentary constituencies for geographic context.

South Down Lagan Valley Belfast South and Mid Down Belfast West Strangford Belfast East Belfast North South Antrim Upper Bann North Down Newry and Armagh East Antrim Mid Ulster West Tyrone Fermanagh and South Tyrone Dumfries and Galloway Northern Ireland
South Down

Boundary data: ONS Open Geography Portal.

Local context

About this constituency

South Down is a constituency in Northern Ireland. The seat has been held by Chris Hazzard (Sinn Féin) since July 2024.

Current MP

Chris Hazzard MP

Sinn Féin

Represents South Down in the House of Commons.

Latest election

2024 General Election

Held on 4 July 2024

Winning party
Sinn Féin
Majority
9,280
Turnout
59.3%
Full candidate result (9 candidates)
CandidatePartyVotesShareChange
Chris HazzardElectedSinn Féin19,69843.5%12.7%
Colin McGrathSocial Democratic & Labour Party10,41823.0%-4.2%
Diane ForsytheDemocratic Unionist Party7,34916.2%-1.9%
Andrew McMurrayAlliance3,1877.0%-6.8%
Jim WellsTraditional Unionist Voice1,8934.2%
Michael O'LoanUlster Unionist Party1,4113.1%-4.6%
Rosemary McGloneAontú7971.8%-0.6%
Declan WalshGreen Party Northern Ireland4441.0%
Hannah WestroppConservative460.1%

Election data comes from UK Parliament. Turnout percentage is calculated by Project Open Gov from Parliament's turnout and electorate figures.

People and place

A population and household snapshot for South Down, using validated House of Commons Library constituency datasets.

Estimated population106,164
EstimateMid-2024 estimate
Region / nationNorthern Ireland

Age profile

0 to 1724.6% · 26,148 people
18 to 247.2% · 7,614 people
25 to 3410.9% · 11,599 people
35 to 4919.2% · 20,403 people
50 to 6419.9% · 21,168 people
65 and over18.1% · 19,232 people

Population figures are mid-2024 estimates from the House of Commons Library. Project Open Gov calculates the estimated population shown above by summing the six published age-band counts. View population source ↗

Home ownership and renting

Housing tenure shows how households in this constituency described their home at the most recent census.

39,141 householdsCensus 2021
Home owners70.1% · 27,426 households
Private renters17.4% · 6,828 households
Social renters9.3% · 3,653 households
Other tenure3.2% · 1,234 households

“Other tenure” combines shared ownership and households recorded as living rent free.

Housing-tenure figures come from the most recent census: 2021 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2022 in Scotland. View housing-tenure source ↗

Household composition

A broad view of household types in this constituency. Project Open Gov uses the four broad groups supplied by the Commons Library so the presentation remains consistent across the UK.

39,144 householdsCensus 2021
One-person households26.8% · 10,483 households
Families with dependent children34.0% · 13,304 households
Other single-family households36.6% · 14,332 households
Other household types2.6% · 1,025 households

Household-composition figures come from the Commons Library constituency dataset. The source uses census data and Project Open Gov displays its broad household groups rather than attempting to harmonise the detailed categories itself. View household-composition source ↗

Disability and day-to-day activities

The source records whether day-to-day activities are limited and uses separate person-level tables for England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

105,241 people in the source baseCensus 2021Source comparison: Northern Ireland
Day-to-day activities limited a lot10.4% · 10,995 people
Day-to-day activities limited a little12.2% · 12,787 people
Non-disabled77.4% · 81,459 people

Comparison note: the workbook uses different source terminology across the UK: England & Wales uses “Disabled under the Equality Act”, while Scotland and Northern Ireland use “Disabled” / “Non-disabled”. Project Open Gov therefore preserves the source categories and does not present them as one single like-for-like UK legal definition.

Disability figures come from the Commons Library constituency workbook. This profile uses the person-level tables only; the workbook also contains separate household-level disability tables which are not used here. View disability source ↗

Petitions

Open UK Government and Parliament petitions that have reached at least 10,000 signatures nationally, ranked here by the number of signatures recorded in this constituency.

Petition signatures are not a poll and do not show what the constituency as a whole thinks. A person can also sign more than one petition.

Open petitionCloses 12 September 2026

Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership

Signatures in this constituency189
Signatures nationally244,689

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 29 June 2026

Open petitionCloses 10 October 2026

Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth

Signatures in this constituency103
Signatures nationally112,993

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 7 September 2026

Open petitionCloses 6 September 2026

Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office

Signatures in this constituency93
Signatures nationally206,593

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 6 July 2026

Open petitionCloses 17 October 2026

Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills

Signatures in this constituency66
Signatures nationally110,856

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 6 July 2026

View 70 more petitions
Open petitionCloses 1 October 2026

Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership

Signatures in this constituency48
Signatures nationally196,369

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 14 September 2026

Open petitionCloses 21 October 2026

Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases

Signatures in this constituency30
Signatures nationally105,312

Government response published · Debate scheduled for 19 October 2026

Open petitionCloses 20 November 2026

Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks

Signatures in this constituency20
Signatures nationally118,715

Government response published · 100,000-signature debate threshold reached

Open petitionCloses 24 September 2026

Legislate to ban FPNs and prosecutions related to school attendance

Signatures in this constituency16
Signatures nationally129,565

Government response published · 100,000-signature debate threshold reached

Signature counts come from the official UK Government and Parliament petitions data and may change while a petition remains open. Browse official petitions ↗

Funding and local projects

National Lottery grants awarded to organisations recorded in this parliamentary constituency since 4 July 2024.

The constituency is based on the recipient organisation recorded in the source data. The funded activity may sometimes take place across a wider area.

Grants recorded116
Total awarded£5,748,859

Most recent awards

National Lottery grantAwarded 24 June 2026

#LC Strangford and Lecale AONB

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

£816,006

The National Lottery Heritage Fund · Heritage

About this award

Lottery investment will enable local people to create a connected, climate-resilient landscape across the 90,603 ha of Strangford & Lecale AONB: a “wholescape” approach where habitats are bigger, better and more joined-up where communities lead how people and nature reconnect. Our project is driven by three core innovations: 1. Community Clusters – local stewardship hubs co-designing best practice interventions and leaving an empowered legacy. 2. A flexible, evidence-based Library of Measures – tailored approaches to habitat restoration and heritage care that fit local land use while delivering public goods: biodiversity, clean water, carbon storage and flood mitigation. 3. A strategic Nature Recovery Network (NRN) – ensuring landscape scale, connected habitat recovery aligned with regional policy and community priorities. We will embed systemic change in governance, land management and community practice, restoring key habitats, reviving traditional knowledge, and creating inclusive pathways for engagement, skills, volunteering and youth leadership that sustain a thriving people–nature relationship.

National Lottery grantAwarded 19 June 2026

Regenerate: Provision for Children and Young People

Kilkeel Parish Bridge Association Limited

£425,857

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

Kilkeel Parish Bridge Association Limited - Children & Young People - Strengthening Communities

National Lottery grantAwarded 18 June 2026

Saintfield Monday Club Summer Outing

Saintfield Monday Club

£875

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

Saintfield Monday Club - Community - Awards for All Northern Ireland

National Lottery grantAwarded 16 June 2026

ADHD hub

ADHD Parent Support Group Co Down

£19,749

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

ADHD Parent Support Group Co Down - Community - Awards for All Northern Ireland

National Lottery grantAwarded 15 June 2026

Strengthening Community Voice through FM105 Down Community Radio

Down Community Radio

£19,997

The National Lottery Community Fund · Charitable and Community including Health, Education and Environment

About this award

Down Community Radio - Community - Awards for All Northern Ireland

111 more awards are available.

Source: DCMS National Lottery Grants Database. The figures shown cover awards from 4 July 2024 to 1 July 2026. View official grants data ↗

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